I really hope that someone can help me as I am struggling emotionally and financially I was asked to have my five grandchildren ages 2-10 on the 31st of July for the night as social services and the police had to gain access to my daughters house as she was drunk and the "house was unfit for children" I took all five children home as asked and then the next day rolled into another and here we are and they are still with me. I have a residence order of the two eldest that I gained in 2009 but the children were living back with their mum since 2011. I am now told that this matter will be going to court and the children will be LAC under a section 20. I have been approved temporarily as a foster carer and will be going through the foster care process but I will only receive financial support for the three youngest due to the residence order. I have been given a figure of £150 per week but they are unsure if this is for each of the younger children or per "sibling group??" I am also not being told when I should start to receive this? I have spent the last of my money on two sets of bunk beds! I cannot get out because I have no car seats and I am waiting for the social worker to say if she can help with this or not. I have one holiday a year with my husband and this is booked for the 2nd September for 7 days and they are not saying what I can do with the children during this time I have no idea how I am coping or even if I can keep my mortgage payments unless I know how much money I can expect or when.I am getting no support and feel like I am going to crumble soon. Can anyone give me any advice as to what I can do or what to expect please. x

I am so sorry to see that you are so distressed by your current situation where, at the request of children’s services, you have taken on the care of our grandchildren.

From your post this was an emergency placement and children’s services and, as such, the social worker should have ensured that you were provided with what the children needed on being placed with you. I suggest that you give the receipt for the bunk bed to the social worker and ask to be reimbursed. The children are looked after child under s.20 and children’s services has particular duties to children in their care. Copies of our advice sheets relating to emergency placements and children’s services duties which explains what should happen in your current circumstances.

Children’s services should assist you in obtaining a car seat since you should not be forced to stay home with the children because you do not have one. It is a legal requirement that you do and if you travelled with the children without one they would take a very dim view of it. This is part of what the children need.

With regard to the fostering allowance payments you should receive, the government set minimum amounts that should be paid to foster carers and the fact that you are related to the children does not mean you should be paid any less. You should be paid for each child. The minimum weekly payments for 2017 to 2018 are as follows:-

You will be entitled to have the payments back-dated to the date that the children came into your care.

As you have residence orders (now child arrangement orders), children’s services are not obliged to make any payment for them as they have lived with you from 2009 and you have parental responsibility for them. However, if the children were removed from their mother’s care she also has parental responsibility. You will not be a foster carer for them as you have parental responsibility. If you have difficulties financial or because of the children’s specific needs, then you could ask for them to be assessed as children in need. Are children services intending to include the two for whom you have parental responsibility as part of their application to the court?

It is wrong for you to be so distressed financially and you should inform the social worker of your concerns about the lack of support since the children came into your care. Please see our advice sheet about the support you can have looking after someone else’s child.

Should you wish to speak to an adviser, please do telephone our free confidential advice line on 0808 801 0366. The advice line is open from 9.30am to 3pm Monday to Friday (except Bank Holidays).